Dr. Johanna Kaplan
Director of the Washington Anxiety Center of Capitol Hill
Dr. Johanna Kaplan is the director of the Washington Anxiety Center of Capitol Hill. She is a licensed child and adult clinical psychologist in Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia. She earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from The Catholic University of America and her undergraduate degree in Psychology and Communications from American University in Washington, D.C.
Prior to opening the Washington Anxiety Center, she worked for four years at the Center for Anxiety and Behavior Change in Rockville MD. She also completed 18 months of post-doctoral training at the Institute of Living/Hartford Hospital at the Anxiety Disorders Center/Center for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy under the direct supervision of David Tolin, Ph.D.
Additionally, she completed a 2-year post-baccalaureate fellowship and a 6-year pre-doctoral fellowship in the Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program at the National Institute of Mental Health. Dr. Kaplan has received extensive clinical and clinical-research training in anxiety, mood, and obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders and has completed clinical and research work in private practice, community, counseling center, and hospital-based settings.
Together, she has over 60 presentations/publications in the domain of clinical anxiety in adult, adolescent, and child populations. She has been interviewed for several articles in Parent magazine, parent.com, Romper.com, klicknews.com, the Hillrag.com, and has been interviewed by several local television media outlets. She continues to actively pursue her education in evidence-based treatments for anxiety in these populations.
To reach Dr. Kaplan, please call 202-768-6494
Dr. Catherine Webster (formerly Dr. Maliszewski)
Staff Clinical Psychologist at the Washington Anxiety Center of Capitol Hill
Dr. Catherine Webster is a licensed child and adult clinical psychologist in Washington, DC and Illinois. She earned her Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology at the Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, Yeshiva University and her undergraduate degree is Psychology from the University of Rochester.
Prior to joining the Washington Anxiety Center of Capitol Hill, she worked for three years at the Chicago Cognitive Behavioral Treatment Center where she provided evidenced-based treatment for a range of anxiety, mood, and obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders including obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, school refusal, specific phobias, body-focused repetitive behaviors, depression and others. Specific interventions included Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Habit Reversal Training and the Comprehensive Behavioral (ComB) Treatment Model for BFRBs, Mindfulness, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Behavioral Activation, and Motivational Interviewing (MI).
Additionally, Dr. Webster completed her pre-doctoral internship at the University of Rochester, School of Medicine and Dentistry (URMC) in Rochester, NY. There, her training included rotations in the outpatient, inpatient, crisis intervention, consultation liaison and pediatric settings. She also completed Advanced Clinical Training in Treatment of Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors from Dr. Charles Mansueto, Ruth Golomb and Dr. Suzanne Mouton-Odum through the TLC’s Professional Training Institute.
“My approach to therapy is collaborative, active, and creative. I believe therapeutic alliance and trust are essential. My clinical style supports broaching difficult and sensitive issues in a way that can be productive as I carefully attend to the relationship and aim to use a light touch with charged content. I strive to better understand your strengths, struggles, and goals within your cultural context and value system to inform our treatment plan and approach.”
To contact Dr. Webster please call her at 240-284-3684
Dr. Kristin Kunkle
Staff Clinical Psychologist at the Washington Anxiety Center of Capitol Hill
Dr. Kristin Kunkle is a licensed child and adult clinical psychologist in Washington, DC, Maryland, Virginia, and New York. Dr. Kunkle also serves as an Adjunct Instructor for graduate-level psychology students at Catholic University of America.
Dr. Kunkle earned her Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology at Long Island University - Post Campus, and her B.S. in Psychology from West Virginia University. She completed a predoctoral internship at Rutgers University Behavioral Healthcare. After graduation, she also completed a clinical postdoctoral fellowship at the Columbia University Clinic for Anxiety and Related Disorders (CUCARD), where she specialized in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for children, adolescents, and adults with anxiety disorders.
Prior to joining the Washington Anxiety Center of Capitol Hill, she worked for three years as a clinical psychologist and instructor of medical psychology at CUCARD and Columbia University Medical Center. Her specific clinical expertise includes separation anxiety, specific phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, parent training, behavior management, and post-traumatic stress disorder. She has experience using interventions such as Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Mindfulness, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Behavioral Activation, Motivational Interviewing (MI), Parent Management Training (PMT), Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TFCBT). Dr. Kunkle provides treatment in a variety of different modalities, including individual, group, and intensive psychotherapy, as well as family coaching approaches and school consultations.
“When working with clients, I strive to be an empathetic source of support while also encouraging clients to make steps toward values-based goals in their lives. My goal is to not only be a voice of encouragement, but to help clients strengthen their own voices and eventually become their own coach when overcoming a challenge. I take a collaborative, goal-based approach, teach skills for coping with difficult emotions, and engage in active practices in session to help prepare clients for coping in their daily lives.”
To contact Dr. Kunkle please call her at (240) 242-9079
Dr. Sahar Esfahani
Staff Clinical Psychologist at the Washington Anxiety Center of Capitol Hill
Dr. Sahar Esfahani is a licensed clinical psychologist in Washington, DC, and Illinois. She completed her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Palo Alto University (Pacific Graduate School of Psychology) in Palo Alto, CA.
Prior to joining the Washington Anxiety Center of Capitol Hill, Dr. Esfahani worked for two years at the Chicago Cognitive Behavioral Treatment Center where she provided evidence-based treatment to children, adolescents and adults for a range of anxiety, mood, and obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders including obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, specific phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), body-focused repetitive behaviors, depression, and various addictive disorders.
She completed her post-doctoral fellowship at the San Francisco VA Medical Center/ University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) with an emphasis in Co-occurring Substance Use Disorders and PTSD, and her pre-doctoral internship at Northern California VA Medical Center with rotations in: Behavioral Medicine/Pain Management, PTSD, Substance Use Disorders, and Department of Defense (DoD) Active Duty Inpatient Unit at Travis Air Force Base. Alongside these experiences she trained at an outpatient community-based trauma clinic providing early intervention treatments under the supervision of Drs. Josef Ruzek and Matthew Cordova, at the Early Intervention Clinic based in Menlo Park, CA.
Dr. Esfahani is well-versed in various evidence-based treatments including: Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Habit Reversal Training (HRT), Mindfulness, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Behavioral Activation, Motivational Interviewing (MI), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Prolonged Exposure (PE), and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I).
Dr. Esfahani is a member of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), American Psychological Association (APA), and the International Society of Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS).
“I feel privileged in my role to guide clients through a journey toward improving their lives. My therapeutic style is compassionate, active and nonjudgmental. I strive to meet clients where they are and help them navigate toward where they want to be based on their goals and values. I am constantly in awe of the work that I do and with the resilience of clients I work with.”
To contact Dr. Esfahani please call her at (202) 768-6494
Director of the Washington Anxiety Center of Capitol Hill
Dr. Johanna Kaplan is the director of the Washington Anxiety Center of Capitol Hill. She is a licensed child and adult clinical psychologist in Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia. She earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from The Catholic University of America and her undergraduate degree in Psychology and Communications from American University in Washington, D.C.
Prior to opening the Washington Anxiety Center, she worked for four years at the Center for Anxiety and Behavior Change in Rockville MD. She also completed 18 months of post-doctoral training at the Institute of Living/Hartford Hospital at the Anxiety Disorders Center/Center for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy under the direct supervision of David Tolin, Ph.D.
Additionally, she completed a 2-year post-baccalaureate fellowship and a 6-year pre-doctoral fellowship in the Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program at the National Institute of Mental Health. Dr. Kaplan has received extensive clinical and clinical-research training in anxiety, mood, and obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders and has completed clinical and research work in private practice, community, counseling center, and hospital-based settings.
Together, she has over 60 presentations/publications in the domain of clinical anxiety in adult, adolescent, and child populations. She has been interviewed for several articles in Parent magazine, parent.com, Romper.com, klicknews.com, the Hillrag.com, and has been interviewed by several local television media outlets. She continues to actively pursue her education in evidence-based treatments for anxiety in these populations.
To reach Dr. Kaplan, please call 202-768-6494
Dr. Catherine Webster (formerly Dr. Maliszewski)
Staff Clinical Psychologist at the Washington Anxiety Center of Capitol Hill
Dr. Catherine Webster is a licensed child and adult clinical psychologist in Washington, DC and Illinois. She earned her Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology at the Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, Yeshiva University and her undergraduate degree is Psychology from the University of Rochester.
Prior to joining the Washington Anxiety Center of Capitol Hill, she worked for three years at the Chicago Cognitive Behavioral Treatment Center where she provided evidenced-based treatment for a range of anxiety, mood, and obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders including obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, school refusal, specific phobias, body-focused repetitive behaviors, depression and others. Specific interventions included Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Habit Reversal Training and the Comprehensive Behavioral (ComB) Treatment Model for BFRBs, Mindfulness, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Behavioral Activation, and Motivational Interviewing (MI).
Additionally, Dr. Webster completed her pre-doctoral internship at the University of Rochester, School of Medicine and Dentistry (URMC) in Rochester, NY. There, her training included rotations in the outpatient, inpatient, crisis intervention, consultation liaison and pediatric settings. She also completed Advanced Clinical Training in Treatment of Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors from Dr. Charles Mansueto, Ruth Golomb and Dr. Suzanne Mouton-Odum through the TLC’s Professional Training Institute.
“My approach to therapy is collaborative, active, and creative. I believe therapeutic alliance and trust are essential. My clinical style supports broaching difficult and sensitive issues in a way that can be productive as I carefully attend to the relationship and aim to use a light touch with charged content. I strive to better understand your strengths, struggles, and goals within your cultural context and value system to inform our treatment plan and approach.”
To contact Dr. Webster please call her at 240-284-3684
Dr. Kristin Kunkle
Staff Clinical Psychologist at the Washington Anxiety Center of Capitol Hill
Dr. Kristin Kunkle is a licensed child and adult clinical psychologist in Washington, DC, Maryland, Virginia, and New York. Dr. Kunkle also serves as an Adjunct Instructor for graduate-level psychology students at Catholic University of America.
Dr. Kunkle earned her Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology at Long Island University - Post Campus, and her B.S. in Psychology from West Virginia University. She completed a predoctoral internship at Rutgers University Behavioral Healthcare. After graduation, she also completed a clinical postdoctoral fellowship at the Columbia University Clinic for Anxiety and Related Disorders (CUCARD), where she specialized in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for children, adolescents, and adults with anxiety disorders.
Prior to joining the Washington Anxiety Center of Capitol Hill, she worked for three years as a clinical psychologist and instructor of medical psychology at CUCARD and Columbia University Medical Center. Her specific clinical expertise includes separation anxiety, specific phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, parent training, behavior management, and post-traumatic stress disorder. She has experience using interventions such as Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Mindfulness, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Behavioral Activation, Motivational Interviewing (MI), Parent Management Training (PMT), Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TFCBT). Dr. Kunkle provides treatment in a variety of different modalities, including individual, group, and intensive psychotherapy, as well as family coaching approaches and school consultations.
“When working with clients, I strive to be an empathetic source of support while also encouraging clients to make steps toward values-based goals in their lives. My goal is to not only be a voice of encouragement, but to help clients strengthen their own voices and eventually become their own coach when overcoming a challenge. I take a collaborative, goal-based approach, teach skills for coping with difficult emotions, and engage in active practices in session to help prepare clients for coping in their daily lives.”
To contact Dr. Kunkle please call her at (240) 242-9079
Dr. Sahar Esfahani
Staff Clinical Psychologist at the Washington Anxiety Center of Capitol Hill
Dr. Sahar Esfahani is a licensed clinical psychologist in Washington, DC, and Illinois. She completed her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Palo Alto University (Pacific Graduate School of Psychology) in Palo Alto, CA.
Prior to joining the Washington Anxiety Center of Capitol Hill, Dr. Esfahani worked for two years at the Chicago Cognitive Behavioral Treatment Center where she provided evidence-based treatment to children, adolescents and adults for a range of anxiety, mood, and obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders including obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, specific phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), body-focused repetitive behaviors, depression, and various addictive disorders.
She completed her post-doctoral fellowship at the San Francisco VA Medical Center/ University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) with an emphasis in Co-occurring Substance Use Disorders and PTSD, and her pre-doctoral internship at Northern California VA Medical Center with rotations in: Behavioral Medicine/Pain Management, PTSD, Substance Use Disorders, and Department of Defense (DoD) Active Duty Inpatient Unit at Travis Air Force Base. Alongside these experiences she trained at an outpatient community-based trauma clinic providing early intervention treatments under the supervision of Drs. Josef Ruzek and Matthew Cordova, at the Early Intervention Clinic based in Menlo Park, CA.
Dr. Esfahani is well-versed in various evidence-based treatments including: Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Habit Reversal Training (HRT), Mindfulness, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Behavioral Activation, Motivational Interviewing (MI), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Prolonged Exposure (PE), and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I).
Dr. Esfahani is a member of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), American Psychological Association (APA), and the International Society of Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS).
“I feel privileged in my role to guide clients through a journey toward improving their lives. My therapeutic style is compassionate, active and nonjudgmental. I strive to meet clients where they are and help them navigate toward where they want to be based on their goals and values. I am constantly in awe of the work that I do and with the resilience of clients I work with.”
To contact Dr. Esfahani please call her at (202) 768-6494
